BOLLYWOOD ACTOR Irrfan Khan has died aged 53.
Khan, who was also known for his roles in Hollywood blockbusters like Slumdog Millionaire and Jurassic World, passed away in a hospital in Mumbai.
According to statement released by his PR company, Khan died "surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace".
A Bollywood legend is his own right, Khan achieved worldwide recognition after starring alongside Dev Patel and Freida Pinto in Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed 2008 effort Slumdog Millionaire.
That success came off the back of his Bafta-winning performance in the British-Indian film The Warrior.
Other notable roles came in Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart and Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited – the latter of which was a part written specifically for Khan by filmmaker Wes Anderson who was keen to work with him.
More recently, Khan enjoyed major roles in The Life of Pi and Jurassic World.
The Indian actor was previously diagnosed with an endocrine tumour, a rare illness affecting cells that release hormones into the bloodstream, which he underwent treatment for in London.
Two months after going public with his diagnosis in 2018, he won praise and support from fans around the world after penning an open letter talking about the "intensity" of the pain he was suffering during treatment and the general "uncertainty" her felt about his life.
Khan had been admitted to hospital with a colon infection prior to his death.
best known for films like Lunchbox, Piku, and Hindi Medium in his homeland, Bollywood icon and Piku co-star Amitabh Bachchan led the tributes to Khan.
"An incredible talent... a gracious colleague... a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema... left us too soon... creating a huge vacuum," he wrote.
